When I have free time, I like to go on trips. Obviously, I cannot go on as many trips as I would want to so in between them, I do a lot of reading (and watching) in order to get ideas for possible destinations. Recently, I discovered a section in The Independent where they feature various destinations, and I liked what I read about Norway.
Dubbed as the most family-friendly destination in the world, Oslo is Norway’s capital. Siobhan Mulholland, the travel writer, states that she has strong reason to believe that the city just might live up to that tagline. She writes:
Foreign capitals and young children don’t always go together. Schlepping around crowded streets tends to be more a task in herding recalcitrant cats than mutual enjoyment. So to find a city that caters brilliantly for children without making a fuss about them, and where both parent and child can enjoy themselves – often at the same time – is a real find.
Getting around is easy: public transport works with Scandinavian efficiency; there’s room on the pavements for a family of five to walk together; and if you need directions plenty of helpful people will direct you in excellent English.
This city by the sea appeals to both adult and child because of its juxtapositions: you exit one of the major museums and a few minutes walk away is a great little beach; you walk through one of the biggest sculpture parks in the world and tucked away behind some trees is a swimming pool; you come out of the National Gallery having seen Edvard Munch’s The Scream, wander up a couple of streets, and, look, is that really a reptile park?
I don’t have any children yet but I am sure that this kind of information will be useful to those of you who are planning on traveling with the family in the future. While Oslo may not be first city to come to mind, you might now want to consider it.